I don't know if this is available to non-subscribers, but here goes:

Can non-subscribers view this article on home libraries, titled The Book Collection That Devoured My Life? (subtitle: Why it's so hard to let go of books in a language I can't read... or duplicate copies of 'True Tales from the Annals of Crime and Rascality'... or Tijuana sailors' pornography....)

(It's long, but even if you find it uninteresting, you mighht enjoy the sidebar.)

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Can non-subscribers view this article on home libraries ... ?

Yes. At least, I could. As you say, it's long.

Very interesting article!

Does anyone else here have a Library Thing account? Mine is here. I've been using it to keep my reading log, starting Jan 08. I've always kept some kind of record, ever since I got into the profession, but this is a fun way to add to that log.

Interesting article, Shu. In fact, he kinda reminds me of Shu. Shu sneaks in books all the time. He buys the library throw-aways. We came back from Columbus loaded with books. Every book shelf is filled, and yet they keep coming. Honey, it's at least time to get rid of the 4 sets of encyclopedias, don't you think?

CW, what a good idea. One question. Are lots of librarians knitters? I noticed there were some on the first page I saw.

I started a LibraryThing account last December. The idea was to create an inventory of my books so I can organize them. It's frustrating to not be able to find a particular book when you want it.

One guy I know says he has about 6000 books. When he moved from Seattle to Tacoma he boxed all his books. He set up all the bookshelves in his new house, then started unloading and shelving the books. He filled all the bookshelves and still had 85 boxes of books left. He still can't figure out what happened.

An enjoyable read. Thanks, Shu. I am reminded of the great painting called The Bookworm (link) by Carl Spitzweg.

Thanks for that, z. Do you know where the original of that painting is? I'd love to see it.

Tinman, I know that if we ever move again, we'll have 85 boxes of books, at least, that we won't have a place for. I've even given away a lot of my professional books, and we've given some of our children's books away, though many were to hard to part with. One of the beauty of parenting is being able to read great books to your kids.

Do you know where the original of that painting is?

The Museum Georg Schäfer, Schweinfurt, Germany (link).

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Are lots of librarians knitters? I noticed there were some on the first page I saw.

I think there is some overlap between the Librarian group and the Knitter group, in society. I also think that a larger percentage of librarians would be attracted to LibraryThing than average, everyday folk. There also seems to be a lot of library people who keep blogs.

Weird, huh?

I think the knitting is weirder than the Blogs. I'd expect librarians, as lovers of language, to perhaps keep a Blog. But the knitting? That stumps me.